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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24683542">kids in america</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopeful_sunshine/pseuds/hopeful_sunshine'>hopeful_sunshine</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Umbrella Academy (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Coming Out, Fix-It of Sorts, Good Parent Grace Hargreeves, Good Sibling Allison Hargreeves, Griddy’s Doughnuts (Umbrella Academy), Hurt/Comfort, NO INCEST i can't believe i gotta tag that, No Apocalypse (Umbrella Academy), Protective Ben Hargreeves, Reginald Hargreeves' A+ Parenting, Running Away, Sibling Bonding, Theft, Vanya Hargreeves Needs A Hug, ben is a bookworm and i love him, possible luther redemption, vanya doesn't have powers but that's okay</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 07:29:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,330</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24683542</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopeful_sunshine/pseuds/hopeful_sunshine</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"he had thought about it, but that would mean leaving klaus and vanya behind, and mom and the others. If he ever were to leave, it wouldn't be alone."</p>
<p>&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;&lt;&gt;</p>
<p>in which reginald takes things too far, and the seven leave the academy in the dead of the night on their 17th birthday to make it alone (but they're not really alone, are they?)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>118</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>hellooo! it is i, back from over a year's hiatus of writing fanfic (and writing in general, actually). writer's block is a massive bitch.</p>
<p>if you've read any of my other works i most likely won't be continuing them, i want to focus on new stuff, but stick around and stay tuned anyhow.</p>
<p>ALSO please leave a comment :') idc what it is, i just love hearing feedback from whoever is reading!!! jgngjrfjr</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>They weren't ordinary, Ben knew that, but he couldn't help daydreaming of a different,<em> normal, </em>life. One where Mom took care of them, and Reginald didn't exist (because even the most wishful thinker couldn't picture the old man as anything except a cold and distant figure), and they went to school and nobody killed people, or got hurt rescuing hostages from banks, or had hours of one-on-one training that left them shaking.</p>
<p>Most of all, he dreamed of a universe where the Things in his stomach ceased to exist, and he wasn't constantly resting a hand on his rippling skin to try and soothe Them, to stop Them from bursting out in a haze of blood and cracked ribs and destroying everything in the room. He didn't hate them, but he wished they were gone. </p>
<p>For that, he feels isolated from his siblings. They couldn't possibly begin to understand, let alone sympathise with wanting to be rid of their powers. Number One, Luther, had the gift of super strength, something Ben wished he could trade him for. Number Two and Three both enjoyed their powers, a little too much perhaps, mused Ben as he watched Allison rumour Klaus into giving her his nail polish, <em>again. </em>Number Five's power was used daily, and Ben knew for certain he would never want to give it up, even if given a choice.</p>
<p>The only people who understood, or at least tried too, were Klaus and little Number Seven. Vanya, although exactly the same age as the rest of them, was a great deal shorter and looked a great deal younger, especially with her fringe almost covering her eyes and the mock-uniform making her appear at least thirteen. Although he couldn't claim to know her nearly as well as he'd like, Ben felt a strong protective instinct come to life with his sister. When Reginald forbade her from being in their family portrait, Ben had silently squeezed her hand as he saw her close to breaking down. Later that night, he snuck into her room and lay on the bed, reading a comic while she practised some concerto on her beloved violin. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>And Klaus, well. Ben saw him struggle daily, with his ever-present 'gift'. The Seance couldn't help but see the ghosts constantly, their voices mingling and filling his head with whispers and cries. Ben also saw the pills, and the needles, and the-</p>
<p>They all had their coping mechanisms.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Ben?" said Diego, hovering in the doorway. Ben looked up from the pages of <em>A Wild Sheep Chase.</em> "Yeah?" His brother seemed to be waiting for an invitation to step inside, so he played along and set the book face-down. It was unusual for Diego to wait for permission to come in, so he waited for whatever he had to say quietly. "M-m-mom wanted to know if you want anything special for tomorrow?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Right. Tomorrow, their shared birthday. Ben had almost forgotten that it was so soon. Each year, Reginald reluctantly gave them the day off training as per Mom's request (and, he suspected, Pogo's too) and Mom, bless her, baked a monstrous amalgamation of all their favourite flavours into one massive cake. Chocolate for Luther, red velvet for Diego and Allison, whipped cream for Ben, marshmallows for Five, sprinkles for Klaus and Vanya. When they were younger it had seemed like such a treat, but as the years went by the novelty wore off.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Tell Mom I don't mind," he replied with a brief smile. Diego disappeared from the doorway before reappearing a moment later. "Mind if I hang around?"</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He won't lie, Ben was a little surprised, but he masked it and moved over so his brother could sit down. "What's the book for today?" asked Diego, picking up the paperback. "<em>A Wild Sheep Chase. </em>It's by Murakami." "I won't pretend to know who that is, but cool." Ben let a giggle bubble over and burst forth.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Diego lay back, his legs dangling over the edge of the bed, and Ben went back to reading. He kept an eye on Diego, however. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A few years ago it wouldn't have been out of the ordinary for Diego to seek him out, or hang in his room. He probably wouldn't have asked to come in, he would have already been there when Ben returned from special training. As they grew older, however, things changed, and Ben witnessed everyone withdrawing further into themselves. He even saw signs of it in Luther, when Reginald berated him one too many times, or scolded the others. They were under no illusion that he loved them, but as they reached 17 the more he could see them wanting to leave.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If he had to place bets, he would vote for Allison being the first to break away. Sir Reginald never particularly bullied her like he did, for example, Klaus, but Ben had watched her grow from a star-struck girl, eyes wide at the cameras constantly shoved in their faces, always taking the front seat in interviews, to be hungry for more, more fame, more screentime. He could see her making it big- she had the talent, not to mention the power to help her get there.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He had thought about it, but that would mean leaving Klaus and Vanya behind, and Mom and the others. If he ever were to leave, it wouldn't be alone.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Time passed faster than usual with Diego as silent company, and soon Mom was poking her head in to let them know it was time to sleep. Ben read by torchlight once she left, and when it was nearly midnight he put down his book and waited until it struck exactly 12.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Happy Birthday to us," he whispered.</p>
<p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>"Come on," said Allison. "We're going to get the others, and go somewhere today." "But Dad won't-" started Ben, fearing that she would jeopardise their day by pissing Reginald off (even more than he usually was, anyway). "Oh Ben, don't  WORRY so much, it'll be fun!" chimed in Klaus, and Allie nodded. "We're seventeen today. That's important, and I know just the place".</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Ben watched the toaster. It was 6 am, and the dim glow of the kitchen light was oddly comforting. He had awoken at 4 am, unable to sleep any more, visions of unfamiliar, faraway places and swamps haunting his dreams. He could hear someone else walking around upstairs, most likely Pogo or Grace, footsteps echoing over his head. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>The toaster dinged, and he fished the toast out, burning himself a little as the toaster tried to reclaim the second piece into it's fiery depths. He spread it with butter, simple and plain, and sat on the counter, a tiny act of rebellion, for Reginald had a particular dislike of the children sitting where they weren't supposed to. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>A door slammed to his left, and Klaus entered, a scarf thrown over his shoulder, flamboyant purple glasses on his head. He had recently started dressing like this in public, much to Reginald (and Luther's) dismay. "You're shaming us all," the old man had said sharply, when, a few months ago, Klaus had waltzed downstairs in a green lacy skirt. The others didn't mind, really. Diego had appeared confused, but far from caring about what his strange brother liked to dress in. Allison, and occasionally Vanya, had to deal with Klaus helping himself to their wardrobes, but they didn't mind much really. Five could not care less, thought Ben. He had far too much on his mind to give a single shit about Klaus's outlandish style and preference for pink. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Happy birthday, dearest brother," said Klaus. Ben subconsciously checked for signs of sobriety, or otherwise.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Although looking sleep-deprived, and smelling a lot like the outside, Klaus appeared to be mostly sober, which was...unusual, but Ben was glad. He had watched silently as Klaus spiralled downwards, coming home at 4 am smelling like spirits, or fishing pills out of pockets. He knew how Klaus, in some sick way, liked getting injured on missions, because it meant that he would come home, and Mom would dope him up on painkillers and make him tea.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Klaus busied himself making coffee, and soon Five jumped himself into the kitchen as well, with a flash of blue light, stealing the cup of coffee from his brother. "Rude," remarked Klaus, but he didn't seem to mind too much. Ben, never a caffeine fan (as it upset the Thing and in turn made his stomach hurt), contented himself with water.  </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Allison appeared at 7:30, her hair in a perfectly coiled bun. "Happy day of birth to us," she said, stirring her smoothie. It looked a little gross to Ben, all green and thick ("it's KALE Ben, it's healthy", she said often). Vanya's violin could be heard from downstairs, music pouring out of her room. Ben liked hearing her play. He saw her face when she did, and she looked oh so peaceful.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Five was long gone, having taken the coffee, and a single slice of jam toast, and jumped back to his room, no doubt to read some thick book or practise his time jumps yet again, and Diego had stayed in his room, taking advantage of their rare day off from studies and missions galore. Luther was in the training room, even though they had no set practise today, putting his fighting skills to task on the poor punching bag.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Come on," said Allison. "We're going to get the others, and go somewhere today." "But Dad won't-" started Ben, fearing that she would jeopardise their day by pissing Reginald off (even more than he usually was, anyway). "Oh Ben, don't  WORRY so much, it'll be fun!" chimed in Klaus, and Allie nodded. "We're seventeen today. That's important, and I know just the place".</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Despite his misgivings, Ben changed into a t-shirt and jeans, and knocked gently on Vanya's door. She opened it almost immediately, brown eyes peering up in curiosity. "Happy birthday, Van. Allison wants us to go somewhere to celebrate, are you coming?" She propped her door open fully and let him in, laying her violin on her bed. She was already dressed, wearing denim shorts and a dark brown shirt.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>He hadn't been in her room for a few weeks, having been swamped with missions, training and studies. Geography and maths would be the death of him, but he took solace in the books Mom gave them to read for extracurriculars and English. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Her bed was the same as everyone else's- grey covers, white sheets, one pillow (the only difference being an extra, smaller pillow infused with lavender that Allison had given her a few years ago...Ben assumed she slept with it, because it was tucked into her covers). The only other thing in her room, apart from a small wardrobe and mirror, was a music stand by the window, stacked  with sheet music, and a chair beside it. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>She sat on her bed, pulling a pair of sneakers on and knotting her hair into a quick ponytail. "Let's get Five," she said. "Good luck with that," said Ben, not quite seeing how they could possibly drag their brother out of his room, let alone out of the house.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They knocked on his door, and he muttered, "come in". Five sat in front of a floor to ceiling blackboard, courtesy of Reginald, staring intently at several equations far too complicated for Ben to even begin to understand. "We're all going somewhere, it's Allison's idea.." said Ben. Five didn't even glance at him as he picked up the chalk and wrote some new numbers on the board. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Vanya moved forward. "Five?" she said. Five hummed in response, showing that he had heard. "Are you coming?" He finally looked at them, a small crease of irritation showing in his expression. "I'll be down soon, wait for me with the others", he replied.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Ben honestly wasn't expecting him to come, and nor was Vanya, from her expression. As they went downstairs, he whispered, "are you sure you don't have powers? Maybe you're like Allie; sure looked like you rumoured him into coming or something of the sort." She giggled as they met Allison at the bottom of the stairs.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"What are you wearing, Vanya? We're going out," said Allison, gesturing to their sister's simple shorts and shirt. Allison herself was wearing a denim skirt, quite short in fact, and a red shirt, contrasting her skin tone nicely. She looked pretty. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>"I'm wearing...clothes?" replied Vanya, not seeing an issue with her choice of clothing. Klaus poked his head around the side of the front door. "What's taking so long?" "We're waiting for Five." "The others are getting impatient, so c'mon."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"What did you tell Pogo?" asked Ben. "I told him we were going to train together somewhere in the city, for practise," Allison responded. "Don't think he believed me, but he won't tell Dad, so stop worrying."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Five finally appeared, the usual blue zap signalling his arrival. He had changed out of his uniform, a rare occasion, and was wearing dress pants and a shirt. "About time," remarked Klaus, "come on."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>To Ben, and probably everyone else's surprise, Luther had decided to accompany them. "How d'you think she managed to get him on board with this?" Ben hissed to Klaus. "Probably batted her pretty lashes and he agreed, no doubt," smirked Klaus. It was no secret that Allison's beauty enchanted many, including Luther. Personally Ben didn't believe there were feeling involved (and if there were, it would be w e i r d, though no weirder than anything else in their life), but she certainly had some kind of grasp on him. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>They got on the bus, getting some funny looks as they boarded. From the outsider's point of view, Ben could see how they warranted a few stares. First off, they all looked wildly different (take Klaus, in his leather skirt and eyeliner, Allie in all her teen girl glory and Diego, in his band shirt...he was going through an emo phases at the moment). He didn't think anyone recognised them as the 'Umbrella kids' but you never knew. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>Grabbing a seat next to Five, he looked out the window, relishing in the cool breeze on his cheeks. the Thing was calm today, dormant for once, thankfully, and he felt good. </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>PLEASE DO LEAVE A COMMENTTTT it motivates and reminds me to continue this,, i wanna know what you guys think</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>next up: i have no idea but i'm working on developing ben's character??</p></blockquote></div></div>
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